Recording - March 2018 - 60
STUDIO 101
Signal Flow In The Studio
Figure 2. This is Steinberg Cubase, a well-known DAW. It combines uniquely
computer-based capabilities, like the waveform editor on the top of the screen, with
familiar analog-style features like the mixer at the bottom.
on a mix when the kids are sleeping in
the next room, headphones are a fact of
studio life. But you generally don't want
to use them as your first-call monitors.
Why not?
Headphones are much more difficult
to make frequency-neutral than speakers,
and because each ear hears only what
is in that stereo channel, interactions
between the channels in the soundstage
are gone. Mixes made on headphones
can sound odd when heard in speakers,
because of interference between the
two channels that would otherwise be
heard and accounted for. A good set of
headphones will come in handy
i n many ways, but shouldn't be
considered a replacement for good
studio monitors.
What is "In The Box," anyway?
Now we have audio running into the
computer, and audio running out of the
computer... but what is happening inside
the computer? Much of what we see in
a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is
a virtualization of a classic studio.
Input channels connect your inputs to
an audio or MIDI track where you
record the results. These tracks are then
60
RECORDING March 2018
PART 3
sent through output channels where you
can control the volume, effects processing
and EQ; these get mixed into your final
output. This is almost identical to the
routing found in a 1980s studio that
would have featured a mixing desk, a
multitrack tape deck, and a stereo mixdown deck; the biggest advantage is
that you aren't limited by the number of
channels on your mixer or the number
of tape tracks.
In addition to virtualizing the recorder
and mixer, most modern DAWs-and
plenty of third-party sellers-provide an
amazing variety of processor, effect, and
instrument plug-ins to perform almost
any function you can imagine. These
are important for us; not only do you
avoid the 'huge rack of gear' purchase,
but you can also carry most of your
processing rig on the hard drive of
a laptop!
or the raw power of an actual guitar
amp. In these cases, there's nothing
like the analog world-and in a way,
we are seeing it make a comeback.
While it is unlikely that 24-track tape
machines will crop up in many home
studios, we do see mixing boxes,
bespoke effects processors, and modular synthesizers showing up in more
recording environments.
The flexibility of a DAW-based studio allows us to take advantage of the
things that analog devices offer without having to overstock our studios with
gear. Do you love that old hardware
delay? Rack it up, patch it into your
audio interface, and route audio into
it through your DAW. Want to hear
your virtual synth through a Marshall
stack? Take the output from your DAW,
run it into a physical amp, and record
the result. The capabilities of a DAW
mean that you can focus your hardware purchases on the areas where
your own tastes make you the pickiest,
while still using virtual gear for all
the necessities.
Conclusion
The analog domain
Well, that was a lot of discussion, but
also a critical one. As we start exploring the
details of the modern recording system,
we'll need to understand all the basics
we've covered in these first few articles:
sound, digitizing and signal flow. Now
that we have this information under
our belts, we can start digging into the
details of each part of the signal flow,
starting with inputs.
Our next outing will be a deep
dive into microphones, but until then,
take the time to familiarize yourself
with your DAW and interface and
the various features we've discussed
here... and have fun!
Nevertheless, there is still room for
analog studio gear in the modern
studio. Some people greatly prefer
the hands-on immediacy of a mixing console, the depth of sound that
comes from a high-end reverb device,
Darwin Grosse (grosse@recordingmag.
com) is a musician, engineer, educator,
podcast host, and digital audio
guru, living and working in the
Minneapolis area.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - March 2018
Contents
Recording - March 2018 - Intro
Recording - March 2018 - Cover1
Recording - March 2018 - Cover2
Recording - March 2018 - 1
Recording - March 2018 - 2
Recording - March 2018 - 3
Recording - March 2018 - 4
Recording - March 2018 - 5
Recording - March 2018 - Contents
Recording - March 2018 - 7
Recording - March 2018 - 8
Recording - March 2018 - 9
Recording - March 2018 - 10
Recording - March 2018 - 11
Recording - March 2018 - 12
Recording - March 2018 - 13
Recording - March 2018 - 14
Recording - March 2018 - 15
Recording - March 2018 - 16
Recording - March 2018 - 17
Recording - March 2018 - 18
Recording - March 2018 - 19
Recording - March 2018 - 20
Recording - March 2018 - 21
Recording - March 2018 - 22
Recording - March 2018 - 23
Recording - March 2018 - 24
Recording - March 2018 - 25
Recording - March 2018 - 26
Recording - March 2018 - 27
Recording - March 2018 - 28
Recording - March 2018 - 29
Recording - March 2018 - 30
Recording - March 2018 - 31
Recording - March 2018 - 32
Recording - March 2018 - 33
Recording - March 2018 - 34
Recording - March 2018 - 35
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Recording - March 2018 - 37
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Recording - March 2018 - 40
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Recording - March 2018 - Cover3
Recording - March 2018 - Cover4
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